Here’s one to try out on a cold and dark morning
A psychiatrist and TikToker has revealed the eight-word daily affirmation phrase you should use to kickstart your mornings and have a good day.
Fighting off the winter blues can be particularly difficult, especially when the wet and windy weather leaves you trapped indoors for most of the day, like many people are doing today (7 Decemeber) due to Storm Darragh.
But just because the weather is wet and miserable doesn’t mean that you have to be, as a US-based psychiatrist has revealed a simple trick you can do each morning to ensure start the day on the right foot.
Taking to TikTok, Dr. Daniel Amen – a certified psychiatrist and brain-imaging researcher, who regularly shares tips on how to look after your mind and body – revealed the eight simple words you should say the moment you wake up in order give yourself a positive daily outlook.
According to Dr Amen, we should all be leaping out of bed the moment our alarm goes off, stretching our arms, and telling ourselves ‘Today is going to be a great day’ every morning.
Well, that may be a little over-exaggeration, but the psychiatrist does go on to explain why this phrase can be important to your mental wellbeing.
@docamen Replying to @Isle_esme_ Raising mentally strong & competent kids part 2 #parenting ♬ original sound – BrainMD
Now, I know what you’re probably thinking; how is saying ‘Today is going to be a great day’ to myself going to make any difference when the weather is miserable, work is busy, and there’s bills which still need to be paid?
Apparently, it’s all to do with mindset.
“When you do that, your subconscious mind begins to look for [the] ‘what are you looking forward to today’.”
Going on to explain the science behind his argument, Dr Amen continued: “This is very important. People who are negative have lower activity, especially in the prefrontal cortex.”
Some commenters were not completely convinced by Dr Amen’s arguments, with one person asking ‘Does it matter if I vehemently do not believe it when I say it?’, while another wondered if this would make the brain see bad experiences as a good day.
However, there is some scientific research behind the idea.
Saying a bunch of words isn’t going to suddenly overhaul your life, but Healthline states that positive affirmations can be useful in activating ‘the reward system in your brain’, which in turn impacts your response to physical and emotional pain.
The NHS also states that constant positive affirmations can help built self-esteem. Both WebMD and MentalHealth add that longterm usage of positive affirmations can also ‘rewire’ your brain towards positive thoughts.
Again, these won’t work for everyone, but it’s certainly worth trying out.
